Do you ever get bitten by the travel bug? I don’t know about you, but I think I must have been born with a gypsy soul. Luckily, I have had the fortune of having travelled during my younger years. As a single mother, it’s so easy to look at the mess left by my 3 year-old daughter and let my mind wander, sometimes wishing I was somewhere else.
Given that I live in Miami, these travel daydreams might seem like a crime. It is absolutely gorgeous here most of the year, but not a day goes by that I do not travel to exotic locations via the internet. So this might seem like a crazy idea, but would you like to go on a ‘Round the World in 80 posts?
For the next 80 posts, I am going to research and visit 80 online locations and imagine my dream trip! Some of the places that I will share will be locations that I have already visited as well. These posts will include videos and images, as well as the things that might be fun to do. I happen to love Pinterest too, so included in these posts will be a Pinterest Board of all of the places that we will be visiting.
Do you ever travel or explore the world virtually? Where would you like to go? Hop aboard… this should be a fun way to see the world together!
Want to get away from it all? Recently, I had visitors and we were exploring Coconut Grove. After a organic produce Shopping spree at the Coconut Grove Farmers Market, we trekked past CocoWalk and ducked in to cool down in the lovely Mayfair Hotel.
Behind the heavy, bronze doors was a lobby that led toward a beautiful inner courtyard. We grabbed a quick drink and headed outside to enjoy the outdoor oasis. The hotel rooms wrap around a lushly landscaped series of verandas, bridges and outdoor parlors. The pools and fountains rippled and cascaded over mosaic tile work. Chairs and couches under canvas umbrellas provide shady places to lounge. Sounds of the palm fronds whisper in the breezes and orchids cling delicately from the trees.
Glass elevators take guests up several levels to a rooftop bar. This is a sunny place to enjoy the views of Coconut Grove, the sailboats in Biscayne Bay and the sun worshipers around the pool. For those who are in the need of more relaxation, there is a serene spa that lures in the weary and restores their spirits back to new.
Believe it or not, the search for an authentic Mexican restaurant in Miami is quite a challenge. But one day I was having a Taco craving and needed an immediate fix. After searching in vain for the elusive Mexican cafe, a cheerful little place on Calle Ocho called Mr. Yum caught my eye and we just had to check it out. In Little Havana, there is a never-ending paseo of Cuban restaurants which made this Asian-Fusion restaurant seemed like an exotic flower in the midst of a field.
Inside the restaurant, we were warmly greeted and ushered to a clean white table. The interior is an expanse of white tables each dotted with a lovely arrangement of sunny, orange roses. Simple elegance can be such a pleasure. We were handed sensual, orange snakeskin menus that described a variety of Asian fare ranging from Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese. My friend ordered a Thai Panang Curry Chicken while I opted for Japanese Lunch of Sushi, Sashimi and Sunomono Salad. When the artfully arranged plate of sushi and sashimi arrived, it was clear that the white tables were just the canvas for the chef’s creations.
Sometimes we go searching for one thing and life yields us double the happiness and pleasures beyond our expectations. If you are looking for a way to escape the heat of Calle Ocho with a tall cool glass of iced green tea, duck into Mr. Yum and you will find an oasis of Asian flair.
Several months ago, @Wokstar and I started up a conversation on Twitter. Somehow, our interests commonly swirled around food and Miami. In the midst of our busy schedules, Eleanor Hoh and I started having phone conversations in real life. In addition to common interests, we discovered that we had common friends. For several months, I [...]
After a morning of surfing, we found we had worked up a massive appetite. Just south of Ponce Inlet, on the way to New Smyrna, we stopped off at an unassuming roadside eatery called The Taco Shack. An open-air cafe looks like an unassuming red and white barn lined with wood plank tables and benches. [...]
Fitness could not be sexier… than at the David Barton Gym located in the Gansevoort Hotel in South Beach. No sweaty sock smell here… no stark and cold equipment areas. This place is a pure pleasure palace to work out. The video was stealth… so it’s just a quick peek and could not begin to [...]
Photographs just cannot do this piece justice. You have to be able to walk around this Jason Rhoades installation in the Rubell Family Collection. This is the second year I have revisited this particular piece. The reason: I just love walking around it and experiencing the changing perspective of the neon words and last year [...]
Disney’s Coronado Lake Resort is a great place to take the family. It is and experience in and of itself. Modeled after the Latin American culture, you will find different themes within the landscape. These areas merged seamlessly into different cultures and the changes in vegetation were one of the many ways Disney used to [...]
Do you ever get bitten by the travel bug? I don’t know about you, but I think I must have been born with a gypsy soul. Luckily, I have had the fortune of having travelled during my younger years. As a single mother, it’s so easy to look at the mess left by my 3 year-old daughter and let my mind wander, sometimes wishing I was somewhere else.
